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Lonzo Ball Felt Like He Was Best Point Guard in NBA After Trade From Lakers

Was Ball the league's best point guard before his injury?

Eva Geitheim

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball is planning to return to the court for the first time since the 2021-22 season after injuries have kept him from playing in each of the last two seasons. He was cleared to practice in scrimmages this summer, and began doing so in August.

Ball has said that the injury goes back to his time with the Lakers, when he underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in July 2018. Ball was then diagnosed with a meniscus tear and bone bruise in Jan. 2022 while playing for the Chicago Bulls, which he underwent surgery for that month. He missed the rest of the season and then missed the next two seasons as he underwent a cartilage transplant in his knee.

This recurring knee issue has stalled the career of one of the most promising players in the league, who also missed time previously with ankle and shoulder injuries. Ball, who began his career in Los Angeles after the Lakers drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, had a strong start to his career as he averaged 10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game in his rookie season.

Ball spent one more season with the Lakers before the team traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of their trade for Anthony Davis in 2019. During that first season with the Pelicans, Ball felt like he had become the best point guard in the NBA before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“Every time I catch my stride, something goes wrong," Ball said on the What An Experience Show. "That month before COVID, if you ask me, I think I’m the best point guard in the league.”

In the final six games of March before the league was temporarily shut down by the pandemic, Ball was putting up the best production of his career. In those six games, he averaged 20.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He finished the season averaging 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, before going on to average a career-high 14.6 per game the following season.

Ball would get traded the following summer to the Bulls, where he played nearly half a season before his knee injury took over.

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Eva Geitheim

EVA GEITHEIM

Eva graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She has been covering college and professional sports since 2022.

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